AHSAA News

AHSAA News

PELHAM – Vestavia Hills High School’s boys and Thompson’s girls took the early lead after two rounds of three traditional bowling rounds Thursday in the seeding round of the third annual AHSAA State Boys’ and Girls” Bowling Championships, which got under way Thursday at Pelham’s Oak Mountain Lanes, at 12:30 p.m..
Vestavia Hills rolled 1,027 and 1,010 for a two-game total of 2,037 pins to take a 67-pin lead over Buckhorn, which was second at 1,970 with one round remaining Thursday. Thompson led Stanhope Elmore by a slimmer 34-pin margin after completing two of the three seeding rounds. The Lady Rebels had a two-game 1,730 total and Stanhope Elmore was second at 1,696.
After Thursday’s competition, each school will be seeded for Friday’s Championship Bracket.

A total of 16 boys’ teams and 16 girls’ teams are competing in each division with the eight teams qualifying from each of last week’s regional qualifying tournaments. Today’s round consists of three traditional games by each team (five players) with the total pins for each team deciding Friday’s championship bracket head-to-head Baker format bowling. All 16 teams in each division will be seeded based on total pins from today’s traditional three-game series bowling. Friday’s first round of the championship bracket starts at 8 a.m. The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will follow with the championship matches for boys and girls scheduled for Friday afternoon.
Cullman High School’s NFHS Network School Broadcast Program directed by John Drake will provide the video live-streaming of the finals Friday. The link for the NFHS Network’s subscriber-based live video stream is: http://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/ahsaa/85d72a726d

Junior Beau Reed was red-hot for Vestavia Hills, coached by Todd Evans, in Thursday’s first two rounds. He rolled games of 34 and 247 for a two-game total of 481 to post an 11-pin lead over Nathan Shutt of Hartselle, who had a 202-268—470. Brendan Ferris of East Limestone was third at 469 with a high game of 247. A total of 32 boys bowled 200 or higher in the first round with Jalen Johnson of Spain Park scoring a 279 for the best game. Shutt’s 268 led the second round, which listed 24 boys’ scores at 200 or better.
Thompson Coach Chris Hollingsworth’s Lady Warriors built their early led in large part on the performance of sophomore Gillian Baker. She recorded games of 256 and 264 in the first two traditional rounds to carry a 520 series into Thursday’s final round, which was still underway. Both scores bested the current high game (245) in the AHSAA playoffs set by Morgan Mullinax of Pelham in the 2016 South Regional. Meghan Best of Stanhope Elmore was second to Baker Thursday after two solid games of 221 and 208 for a 429 total. Five girls had 200 or better scores in the first round Thursday, and six topped 200 in the second round. The girls’ third round was also still underway at 3:30.
Complete team and individual results can be found at www.ahsaa.com under the bowling section of in-season sports.

MOULTON – Mountain Brook won its first boys’ state championship since 2011 – and 14th overall as the 2017 AHSAA State Cross Country Championships concluded Saturday at Moulton’s Oakville Museum and Indian Mounds course.
Will Stone of Homewood won his second 6A individual championship to lead the Patriots to their sixth straight team crown. Other boys’ state champions at the 62nd annual AHSAA Championships were Scottsboro (5A), Trinity Presbyterian (4A), American Christian (3A) and Westminster-Oak Mountain (1A/2A).
CLASS 7A BOYSMountain Brook Wins 14th State Cross Country ChampionshipMountain Brook edged runner-up Huntsville by four points, 74 to 78, to claim the school’s first AHSAA Boys’ state championship since 2011 and the Spartans’ 14th overall. The win at the 62nd AHSAA State Cross Country Championships at Oakville Museum and Indian Mounds course near Moulton Saturday also napped Auburn’s streak of state titles at four. The Tigers won the big school championship each year since 2013.
Vestavia Hills senior James Sweeney clocked 15:38.75 to win the individual title in the 7A race comprised of 142 runners. Mountain Brook senior Charlie Slaughter was second (15:50.69) and Fairhope’s Jared Tourart was third (15:53.08). Vestavia was third in the team competition with 97 points.

CLASS 6A BOYSStone Leads Homewood to 6A State ChampionshipHomewood junior Will Stone ran the 3.1-mile distance in 15:46.20 to win his second straight Class 6A individual cross country championship Saturday. The Patriots had 54 points to capture the 6A state title for the sixth straight year. Cullman was second with 69 points and Helena finished third at 107.
Florence senior Grant Brown was second in the field of 204 participants with a time of 16:03.71. Wetumpka junior Cory Anthony was third clocking 16:12.84.

CLASS 5A BOYSScottsboro Completes Sweep Winning 5A Boys CrownScottsboro posted 33 points to win its first state boys’ championship since 2011 and 12th overall as the Wildcats completed the sweep in Class 5A. Scottsboro’s girls also won a state championship Saturday.
Senior Zack Howard of Briarwood Christian won the individual title with a time of 16:16.17. Saint John Paul II Catholic senior Fuad Qushair was second clocking 16:18.66. Freshman Cooper Atkins of Scottsboro led a trio of Wildcats finishing 3-4-5. He ran a 16:23.44 to finish third. Teammates Devin Berry and Will Coleman closed right behind Atkins among the 139 runners in the field.

CLASS 4A BOYSNorthside’s Tanner King Wins Second Straight Title; Trinity Wins Team CrownNorthside senior Tanner King crossed the finish line at 15:55.57 to win his second straight Class 4A state cross country title Saturday. Trinity Presbyterian, led by third-place finisher Charlie Lott, won its second state championship in three years with 64 points. Montgomery Catholic had 78 to claim runner-up and Northside was third with 117.
Matthew Estopinal of Randolph was second in the field of 137 runners clocking 16:07.59. Lott finished with a time of 16:34.34.

CLASS 3A BoysAmerican Christian Repeats as Boys’ ChampsAmerican Christian seniors Taylor Ray and David Barnett finished 1-2 to lead the Patriots to their second straight Class 3A boys’ state cross country championship. ACA posted 34 points with Ray clocking 16:40.81 to win for the second straight year. Barnett’s runner-up time was 16:46.45. Finishing third in the field of 137 participants was Elkmont’s Chase Prate with a 16:52.83 time.
Pleasant Valley was second in the team standings with 55 points, and Bayside Academy was third with 88.

CLASS 1A/2A BoysWestminster-Oak Mountain Claims First Boys’ TitleWestminster of Oak Mountain completed a sweep posting 43 points to capture the boys’ 1A/2A state championship. It was the first in school history for the Shelby County school. Westminster also won the girls’ competition earlier in the day.
St. Bernard senior Andrew Sweeney ran the course in 16:02.56 to capture the individual title. Westminster senior Nate Collins was second with a 26:15.74 time and Hatton’s Kagen Sutton was third clocking 16:29.31.
Cold Springs was second with 77 points and Altamont finished third with 78.

MOULTON – Montgomery Catholic junior Amaris Tyynismaa ran the best time of all girls Saturday to capture her fourth straight individual state cross country crown at the AHSAA 2017 Cross Country Championships held at Oakville Indian Mounds Museum and Indian Mounds course near Moulton.
Scottsboro highlighted the team competition winning its 21st girls’ state team championship in the Class 5A competition. Also winning girls’ state team titles were Auburn (7A), Fort Payne (6A), Randolph (4A), T.R. Miller (3A) and Westminster-Oak Mountain (1A/2A).
CLASS 7A GIRLSAuburn Wins First State TitleAuburn’s Lady Tigers posted 40 points to nip defending state champion Huntsville for the AHSAA Class 7A state cross country championship. The Panthers finished second with 57 points and Mountain Brook was third with 62.
McGill-Toolen Catholic senior Grace Jensen topped the 138-participant field with a winning time 18:00.51 over the Oakville Indian Mounds Park and Museum course in Lawrence County near Moulton. Thompson junior McKenzie Hogue was second at 18:12.57, and Auburn sophomore Samantha Rogers was third with a time of 18:29.25.

CLASS 6A GIRLSFort Payne Edges Homewood for First CC Title Since 1991Fort Payne placed five runners in the top 16 finishers as the Lady Wildcats finished with 51 points winning the school’s first girls’ AHSAA cross country championship since 1991. Defending Class 6A state champ Homewood was second with 65 points and John Carroll Catholic, which won the 2014 and 2015 Class 6A titles, was a distant third with 147 points.
Sophomore Maggie Crowe clocked 19:51.30 and seventh grader Anahi Barboza crossed at 19:56.27 to finish sixth and seventh, respectively, to lead Fort Payne. Florence freshman Mary Claire Ridgeway won the individual championship in the field of 202 runners with a winning time of 18:20.05. Homewood sophomore Celie Jackson was second clocking 18:48.12, and Northview senior MaKennah Mills was third (18:55.61).

CLASS 5A GIRLSScottsboro Captures School’s 21st State Cross Country TitleScottsboro won its first girls’ AHSAA state cross country championship since 2013 and the Lady Panthers’ 21st overall posting 59 points. Class 5A runner-up Lawrence County had 78 points and Arab was third with 106. Defending 5A state champion St. Paul’s Episcopal finished fourth with 107 points.
Faith Academy eighth grader Olivia Andrews beat the field of 119 participants with a winning time of 18:59.40 – denying St. Paul’s sophomore Isabel Valenzuela from claiming her fourth straight state crown. Valenzuela was second at 19:07.43. Eighth grader Isabella Noble led Scottsboro’s winning effort finishing eighth (19:51.97). Teammates Hannah Cloud and McCall Chandler, a freshman and eighth grader respectively, were right behind Noble at ninth and tenth.

CLASS 4A GIRLSCatholic’s Amaris Tyynismaa Takes Fourth State CrownJunior Amaris Tyynismaa raced to her fourth straight individual AHSAA cross country title and came very close to equaling the all-time best time in the process. Tyynismaa finished the 3.1-mile course in 17:14.37, best girls’ time in all classes, but came up just short of her record 17:03.40 she ran in 2014 as an eighth grader to win her first state championship.
Defending state champs Randolph won the Class 4A team championship for the second year in a row Saturday with 45 points. Catholic was second with 60.
Saint James freshman Presley Miles finished second in the 128-runner field – almost 90 seconds behind Tyynismaa – to help the Trojans (91) finish third. Randolph freshman Emma Hudson was fifth to lead the Raiders.

CLASS 3A GIRLSBlackmon Paces T.R. Miller to First State ChampionshipT.R. Miller freshman Olivia Blackmon crossed the finish line at 18:56.99 to win the Class 3A individual championship as the Lady Tigers posted 59 points to capture the Brewton school’s first team title.
Blackmon’s individual win was the second state title in a row for a T.R. Miller runner. Allie Nelson won the AHSAA’s Class 3A race in 2016 running the course with an almost identical time as Blackmon. Nelson won with an 18:53.29 time. Defending state champs Pleasant Valley finished second with 86 points and American Christian was third with 99.
Senior Becca Billman was second for the Patriots clocking 19:27.52, and Pleasant Valley freshman Trinity Roberts was third with a 19:51.85 time in the 128-runner field.

CLASS 1A/2A GIRLSWestminster-Oak Mountain Repeats as State ChampsWestminster of Oak Mountain placed three runners in the top seven and rolled to the school’s second consecutive Class 1A/2A AHSAA state cross country championship. Westminster totaled 32 points, best of girls’ squads in all classes Saturday, with freshman Hallie Porterfield and senior Sarah Kate Lipperd finishing third and fourth, respectively. Leahrose Mami of St. Bernard Catholic won the race with a time of 19:24.33. Defending state champion Hannah Tarwater, a senior at Whitesburg Christian, was second at 19:33.31. Porterfield clocked 19:34.46 and Lipperd, 19:36.11.
Hatton and St. Luke’s Episcopal tied behind Westminster with 101 points, but Hatton took second place in the tie breaker.

MONTGOMERY – The 62nd annual AHSAA Cross Country State Championships get underway Saturday at Oakville Indian Mounds Park and Museum Saturday with competition getting underway with the Class 6A girls’ championship at 8:30 a.m.. The final race of the day will be Class 3A boys’ competition at 12:10 p.m.
Defending boys’ champions are Auburn (7A), Homewood (6A), Scottsboro (5A), LAMP (4A), American Christian (3A) and St. Bernard (1A/2A). Defending girls’ champions are Huntsville (7A), Homewood (6A), St. Paul's Episcopal (5A), Randolph (4A), Pleasant Valley (3A), and Westminster-Oak Mountain (1A/2A).
Junior Amaris Tyynismaa of Montgomery Catholic will be vying for her fourth state title and will be chasing her own state record (17:03.4) set in the 2014 state championships when she was just an eighth grader. She almost equaled her 2016 state-meet winning time (18:07.86) at the Class 4A, Section 1 competition at Loxley Park in Baldwin County last week with as first-place finish 18:15.52.
On the boys’ side, junior Will Stone of Homewood is seeking his second straight Class 6A boys’ cross country championship. He has been consistently strong all season and clocked 16:33 in his section race. The fastest boys’ section times were turned in by two Huntsville runners at the Class 7A Section 4 championships last week. Senior Cameron Cox won the boys’ competition with a time of 15:48.81 and teammate Nick Ceci, a junior, was right behind at 15:53.04. Grissom junior Allen Anderson was third at the Huntsville race running 15:55.78.
The complete race schedule is listed below.

BIRMINGHAM – St. Luke’s Episcopal rolled to its second straight Class 2A state volleyball championship Thursday afternoon beating Goshen 25-11, 25-12, 25-15in the finals at the 46th annual AHSAA State Volleyball Championships being held at Bill Harris Arena.
Coach Meredith Donald Harvison’s Wildcats (34-15) took control quickly thanks to the strong play inside by senior outside hitter Jada Carney. Carney finished with 14 kills and three service aces to earn MVP for the 2A state tourney. Junior setter Lauren Bailey had 20 assists, senior libero Kellan Hensley had 16 digs and eighth grade outside hitter Gracie Sims had 13.
Goshen (28-14), making its first appearance in the state finals, was led by senior Kelsey Gibson’s 11 kills, five digs and two aces. Setter Kate Warrick, a junior, had 17 assists for Coach Amy Warrick’s Eagles. Junior Hannah Calhoun also had a game-high 19 digs.
The Class 3A state finals between Montgomery Academy and Bayside Academy is the last championship match of the day at Harris Arena and is being live-streamed by the NFHS Network.CLASS 2A ALL-STATE TOURNAMENT TEAMJada Carney, St. Luke’s Episcopal (MVP); Gracie Sims, St. Luke’s Episcopal; Lauren Bailey, St. Luke’s Episcopal; Kellan Hensley, St. Luke’s Episcopal; Hannah Calhoun, Goshen; Kelsey Gibson, Goshen.

BIRMINGHAM – Saint James beat Deshler 21-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-19 Thursday afternoon at Bill Harris Arena to claim the 2017 AHSAA Class 4A state volleyball championship. The state title was the third in school history and the first for Coach Karen Lee.
Junior outside hitter Carson Ann Crow recorded 21 kills and 16 digs to the Class 4A state tourney’s MVP honor. Her play up front helped the Trojans (37-9) from Montgomery roar back after dropping the first set 25-21 to Coach Jana Killen’s Tigers (43-15). LizAnne Livings added 16 kills and Bailey Williams had eight. Setter Emily Olsey had 29 assists and 12 digs and Emily Poundstone had 21 assists and 11 digs.
Leading Deshler was 6-foot senior middle hitter Karleigh Sledge, who had 21 kills and two blocks. Madison Jackson had 10 kills and Ashley Wellington added 24 digs. Setter Kandice Ricks had 37 assists and 15 digs.
The two remaining state finals are remain to be played today. Both are being live-streamed by the NFHS Network.CLASS 4A ALL-STATE TOURNAMENT TEAMCarson Ann Crow, Saint James (MVP); LizAnne Livings, Saint James; Emily Osley, Saint James; Kandice Ricks, Deshler; Madison Jackson, Deshler; Karleigh Sledge, Deshler.

BIRMINGHAM – Alexandria High School volleyball coach Whitney Welch had the opportunity to play on a state championship volleyball team for the Valley Cubs while a student at the Calhoun County school. After Thursday’s 25-23, 25-16, 25-13 win over Lawrence County in the Class 5A finals of the 46th annual AHSAA State Volleyball Championships at Bill Harris Arena, she has now been able to share that experience with her team as the coach.
The Valley Cubs (44-9), who lost in the5A finals in 2016 to St. Paul’s Episcopal, rolled through the Class 5A state tournament winning three matches without losing a single set. They clicked on all cylinders in the finals with senior outside hitter Taylor Spradley recording 20 kills to earn MVP honors. Fellow senior Aubrey Pope added 14 kills and senior setter Gracie Muncher dished out 40 assists. Junior Mattie Wade had 18 digs.
Coach Robyn Hutto’s Lady Red Devils (59-5) were led by juniors Lauren Mayes and Savannah Graham, who collected 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Setter Laekyn Bennett had 23 assists and Sami Parker had a team-high 13 digs.
The championship was Alexandria’s fourth state volleyball title overall, but the first in Class 5A. The first three (1993, 1994 and 1995) were in Class 4A.
The three remaining state finals will be played today with all being live-streamed by the NFHS Network.CLASS 5A ALL-STATE TOURNAMENT TEAMTaylor Spradley, Alexandria (MVP); Gracie Muncher, Alexandria; Aubrey Pope, Alexandria; Mattie Wade, Alexandria; Savannah Graham, Lawrence County; Lauren Mayes, Lawrence County.

BIRMINGHAM – McGill-Toolen Catholic High School junior outside hitter Kenya McQuirter accumulated 23 kills to lead the Dirty Dozen (46-8) to 25-16, 25-23, 267-25 win over Bob Jones to claim the Class 7A state volleyball championship Thursday at Bill Harris Arena.
McQuirter also had 12 digs and five service aces to earn MVP honors as McGill-Toolen won its first state championship since 2005. It was state crown number 20 for the Mobile school in the 46-year history of the tournament and the first for head coach Kate Wood.
The Dirty Dozen, which knocked off three-time defending champion Mountain Brook in the semifinals Wednesday night at the CrossPlex, had to claw from behind in game three to keep from forcing as fourth set. McQuirter’s presence at the net was just too much for the Patriots (41-11) to overcome. Alex Pierre also had 11 kills, Erica Schilling had 15 digs, Lillie Fromdahl and Millie Andrews had 25 and 20 assists, respectively.
Emma Jarrett’s 10 kills led Coach April Marsh’s team. Alana Cox also had nine kills, Aija Abele had 25 assists and Karmahn Hall had 17 digs. Abele also had three service aces.
The four remaining state finals will be played today with all being live-streamed by the NFHS Network.

BIRMINGHAM – Pelham captured the school’s third state volleyball championship and the first since 1997 winning an incredible 25-20, 26-24, 22-25, 25-27, 17-15 victory over Jasper in the Class 6A finals of the 2017 AHSAA State Volleyball Championships at Bill Harris Arena Thursday.
Both teams clawed back time and time again with Coach Perry Robinson’s Panthers (41-9) rallying from a 24-19 deficit in game two 26-24. The Vikings (57-5) of Coach Bobby Daniel rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win games 3 and 4 and force the fifth game.
Emorie Long had 17 kills to lead Pelham and earn MVP honors. Four teammates also had 10 or more kills in a contest that had 63 for the Panthers and 62 for Jasper. Sarah Guthrie also had 13 kills and 16 digs, Kaytlyn Maddox and Jamila Wilson had 11 kills each and Erin Long had 10 for Pelham. Setter Georgia Stonicher also had 56 assists and Grace Nolen, 19 digs. Guthrie also had three service aces.
Walker had four girls with 12 or more kills with McKinley Fergerson totaling 18, Tameyah Griffin and Morgan McClendon, 13 each, and Alex Oliver 12. Ferguson and Khloe Kimbrell had 29 and 25 assists, respectively. Temperance Chatman also had a match-high 30 digs and four ace serves.
The five remaining state finals will be played today with all being live-streamed by the NFHS Network.CLASS 6A ALL-STATE TOURNAMENT TEAMEmorie Long, Pelham (MVP); Sarah Guthrie, Pelham; Georgia Stonicher, Pelham; McKinley Ferguson, Jasper; Tameyah Griffin, Jasper; Shyan Flack, Brewer.